Some villagers are defying the dangers posed by the Indonesian volcano Mount Merapi, saying they must try to tend their livestock and crops. A full evacuation was set in motion on Saturday after scientists warned of an imminent eruption. The volcano, in Central Java province, is shooting out black smoke, volcanic ash and lava. Police have set up roadblocks to curb access but have allowed some villagers to return temporarily. The BBC's Rachel Harvey in Jakarta says Mount Merapi's pyrotechnic displays continue unabated with mini explosions sending clouds of burning ash, small rocks and spurts of lava high into the sky. Although officials say the evacuation is going smoothly, some farmers have defied the order to leave. ... http://news.bbc.co.uk

China is installing another Catholic bishop in a move that is likely to increase tension with the Vatican. Zhan Silu is being elevated to become bishop of Mindong Diocese in eastern Fujian province on Sunday without the approval of the Holy See. In the past fortnight Beijing has consecrated two other unapproved bishops, sparking Papal criticism. China has both a state-run Catholic association and an underground church loyal to the Vatican. The recent appointments have cast a shadow on moves to re-establish diplomatic relations that were severed more than 50 years ago. ...http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/4769501.stm

Gov. Mitt Romney declared a state of emergency in Massachusetts on Sunday as heavy rain soaked the region flooding basements, closing roads and threatening mud slides. The declaration activates the National Guard and various state services to help communities respond to the storm."We have in fact had a couple of communities that have experienced some high levels of flooding," Romney said from the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency bunker in Framingham.By Sunday morning, Boston had picked up 4.35 inches of rain in 24 hours. Farther north, Newburyport collected 5.83 inches over the same period, according to the National Weather Service."We do have a flooding problem going on in the North Shore," said meteorologist Mike Jackson. "It's getting pretty nasty up there."...http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,195417,00.html

Prisoners rioted Sunday at Haiti's main prison, hours before the inauguration of President-elect Rene Preval. Gunfire was heard within its walls and scores of inmates massed on the roof holding what appeared to be two dead bodies.The riot broke out at the national penitentiary, about a half-mile (kilometer) from the parliament building where Preval was to be inaugurated at midday Sunday.About 100 prisoners were on the roof of the prison, according to journalists from AP Television News. Rioters held aloft what appeared to be two dead inmates, chanted "freedom or death" and unfurled a banner saying "Justice."There was no immediate official word on casualties. Haitian police and U.N. peacekeeping troops surrounded the prison....http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/americas/05/14/haiti.riot.ap/index.html?section=cnn_world

Heavily-armed gangsters attacked police posts in Brazil's Sao Paulo state for a second night in the worst spate of crime-related violence in the country's industrial and business heartland in memory. A total of 52 police, civilians and gangsters have been killed in two nights of coordinated attacks by a criminal gang in Brazil's Sao Paulo state, security officials said on Sunday. A further 53 people have been wounded in the worst wave of crime-related violence in Brazil's wealthiest state in recent memory. Prisoners have also rioted in about 20 penitentiaries. "We are all indignant and in a state of mourning," Sao Paulo city mayor Gilberto Kassab said on Saturday night. "It's not a war. It's a battle, which we will win." ...http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory?id=1960170

Fourteen people have died and six were hurt in a double suicide attack near Baghdad airport, on a day of violence that claimed at least 30 lives in Iraq. The blasts took place in a car park close to the airport compound, the US military said. Militants north of the capital also attacked the Iraqi foreign minister's convoy, killing two of his bodyguards. The violence came a day after two British soldiers died in a bombing near Basra, the British army said. The province's governor has suspended the local police chief and asked for the military commander in the area to be removed, accusing both men of having terrorist links. ...http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/4769633.stm